Engine.



O. A. BLUME.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1911. 1,009,639. Patented N0v.21,1911.

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literature-tion oi Entrenchment:

application filed teptember nth, ltll.

i atented ltovi tlerlalltto. eraser.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Cris A. Brennan,

which the following is a specification, retorence being had to the accompanying drawinn-s.

This invention relates to engines and has for its primary obyect to provide means torutilising the exhaust ol the engine as an auxiliary driving medium whereby a marl mum oil power may be obtained from a minimum consumption of fuel.

larther object of the invention is to, the exhaust oi provide means for directin the engine against a plura 1t of blades or vanes arranged in the rim oi the lily wheel of the engine, and means to receive and dim charge the exhaust fluid after it has expend ed its force upon said blades or vanes, thuspreventing back pressure on the fly wheel.

Still another object out the invention is to provide a device of the above character which is simple in construction, stron durable and efiicient in practical use and may be manufactured and applied to the ordinary type ott engine ata minimum expense.

With the above and otherobjects in view, the invention consists of the novel features at construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a steam engine having my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the rim of the flywheel and its casing being shown in section; and Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 3-3of Fig. 2.

As above outlined the purpose of the present invention is to rovidemeans for utilizing the exhaust o an engine whereby the percentage of working energy to be derived from a specified consumption of fuel may i be greatly increased, and while. I have illustill trated the device in the accompanying drawings as applied to a steam engine of the horizontal single cylinder type, it will be understood that the: invention is also applicable to double or' multiple-cylinder. engines olt either the horizontal or vertical type and \also to :or gasolene engines oi the ordinary construction.

with the above end .in view I have illustrated one embodiment or myv invention in the drawings, whereindesignates the engine cylinderand 6 the steam chest which is provided with a steam inlet port 7 and the exhaust port 8. Ilhe cylinder and steam chest are mounted upon one end oil a suitable base 9 and on the other end oil said base the power shaft 10 mounted in suitable bearings. Upon the end of this power shaft the fly or balance wheel 11 .is lreyed or otherwise rigidly lined.

"lhe rim oil the fly wheel is out substantially ll-shaped form in cross section and between the parallel flanges of saidrim the inclined blades or vanes 12 arelormed. A suitable housing. or casing 13 is-provided for the fly wheel and this casing is preter- -;ably formed intwo sections so that it may vbe readily removed-when desired. The annular wall of one of the casing sections is provided with an inlet opening 14:t0 which one end of a conducting pipe 15 is con- .nected. The other end of this conducting pipe is secured to the valve chest 6 over the exhaust port 8 thereof as clearly shown in Fi 1. ltwillbe observed that the in cline blades or vanes 12 of the fly or balance wheel are inclined toward the inlet port 14 of the fly wheel case as they pass the same so that the exhaust fluid from the steam chest 6 will impinge upon said blades *or vanes and rotate or drive thefly wheel in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. One of .the casing sections, indicated at13 has its outer annularwall disposed eccentric with relationto the fly wheel 11, said wheel at the upper portion or top of the fly wheel being disposed closely adjacent to the ends of the vanes 12 and extending :around said fly wheel in gradually increasing spaced relation to said vanes. In-this-casing section 13' and between the side walls thereof, a wall 16 is arranged which extends in concentric relation to the fly wheel, said wall and the annular wall of the casing section forming a passage 17 between them which is gradually restricted in area from its lower to its upper end, the upper end of theplate or wall 16 being only slightly spaced from the annular wall of the casing as indicated at 18, and between said walls and into the passage 17 the exhaust fluid is driven in the rotation of the fly wheel 11, after said fluid has expended the residue of its. expansive force upon the blades or vanesv 12. The other section of the casing 13 is provided at its lower end with a laterally extending tubular discharge neck 19 which forms a continuation of the pas-. sage 17. To this outlet or discharge neck.

the exhaust pipe 20 isconnected, said pipe being vertically extended and adapted to discharge the devitalized fluid to the atmosphere.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction and. operation of the invention .will be obvious, The engine is first started in the usual manner and as the actuating fluid is exhausted from the steam chest in the reciprocation of the engine piston, it is conducted through the pipe 15 and discharged into the fly wheel case 13 against the blades 12 in the rim of said wheel. This actuating fluid still contains considerable of its expansive properties which are exerted upon the blades or vanes to increase the momentum of the fly wheel and thereby proportionately increase the power to be derived from the consumption of fuel necessary for the operation of the engine. This steam or other actuating fluid is retained between the blades or vanes 12 of the fly wheel until said wheel has made approximately one-quarter of a revolution, when the greater portion thereof is discharged through the momentum of the wheel into the contracted upper end of the passage 17. From this passage the fluid passes into the pipe 20 from which it is exhausted to the atmosphere. By providing the passageway 17 which is isolated fromthe rim of the wheel 11, any back pressure upon the vanes or blades 12 is effectually prevented so that all of the remaining expansive properties of the exhaust fluid is utilized in' the driving of the wheel, and the momentum thereof is not retarded. It is of course possible to dispense with the plate 16, but for the reasons above given, the foregoin construction would preferably be employed.

By the use of my improvements I aim to accomplish a material reduction in the cost of operation of steam and gas engines, and at the same time secure a maximum of power and entirely eliminate the great amount of waste energy as is now common in the operation of such engines. The device may be easily appliedto an engine of the ordinary 1,ooe,ese

advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. The combinationwith an-engine having inlet and exhaust ports, of a fly wheel for said engineprovided with a plurality of peripheral pockets, a case for the fly wheel having a ortion of its-annular wall eccentricall disposed with relation thereto to provi e a passage of gradually restricted area from one end to the other thereof, a conducting pipe connecting the exhaust of the engine to the fly wheel case at a point opposite said passage and adapted to discharge the exhaust into the pockets of said wheel, and an exhaust pipe connected to the other end of said passage. V 2. The combination. with an engine having inlet and exhaust ports, a fly wheel for said engine, a plurality of inclined blades arranged in the rim -of the fly wheel and forming pockets therein, a case for the fly wheel formed in two sections, one of said sections havingits annular wall disposed concentric to the fly wheel and in close relation thereto and the other of said sections having. its annular wall eccentrically disposed with relation to said fly wheel to form a passage between the same and the fly wheel of a adually restricted area from one end to the other thereof and merging'into and forming a continuation of the space between the annular wall of the first named case section and the fly wheel, a conducting pipe connected to the exhaust of. the en 'ne and to the first named case section, an an exhaust pipe connected to the larger end of saidpassage; Y 3. The. combination with an engine having inlet and exhaust ports, of a fly wheel for said engine, a plurality of lnclined blades arranged in the rim of .the fly wheel and forming pockets therein, a case for the fly wheel formed in two sections, one of said sections having its annular wall disposed in concentric relation to the fly wheel, the other of said sections having its annular wall disposed in eccentric relation to the fly wheel, a plate arranged in said latter section between the side walls thereof and extending in concentric relation to the fly wheel and forming one wall of a passageway betweenthe flywheel and the annular wall of said case section, a conducting pipe connected to the exhaust of the engine and to-the annular wall of the first named case section to direct the exhaust fluid into the pockets of the fly wheel, said case section having a discharge neck formed upon its annular wall and constituting a continuation of the passage in the latter case section, and an exhaust pipe connected to said discharge neck. 10 In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. CHARLES A. BLUME. Witnesses:

SYLVA R. BALTHAsEn, J. M. BIGKEL. 

